A busy, bustling, noisy bird with bright, chirrupy calls, streaky above but plain beneath. Female has a broad pale band above the eye; male has a grey cap and black bib. Their tails are plain, without the white sides or coloured patches of many buntings and finches.

House Sparrows hop and chirrup their way through life in all kinds of places inhabited by people: from town parks and railway stations to suburban gardens and farmsteads. In Britain there is some evidence that House Sparrow numbers in gardens are declining, although in most places this remains a common bird.